Armenia launches independent restoration of railway to Turkish and Azerbaijani borders
Armenia begins restoring railway on its own
Armenia has begun preparatory work to restore the Gyumri-Akhurik and Yeraskh railway sections, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said.
“We will carry out this work ourselves. As for the remaining sections, we will continue working-level discussions, including with our Russian partners,” he said.
The railway sections lead towards Armenia’s borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan. Yerevan had previously proposed that Russia restore them. Restoring and extending the lines would fully reopen Armenia’s railway connections.
Russia has not signalled that it is ready to move forward with the project. At the same time, officials in Moscow have said they do not intend to give up the railway concession.
Since 2008, South Caucasus Railway has operated Armenia’s rail network under a concession agreement. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Russian Railways. The agreement runs for 30 years. However, rail freight traffic has halved since 2008, some routes have ceased operating, and the company has yet to deliver the investment commitments set out in the concession agreement.
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Pashinyan: ‘International railways must not bypass Armenia’
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at his latest briefing that Armenia’s position on reopening the railway had not changed and would not change because it reflected an objective necessity.
“We cannot simply stand by while international railways come right up to Armenia and still bypass the country, partly because of our own inaction. That cannot happen,” he said.
Pashinyan stressed that South Caucasus Railway was involved in all discussions, adding that “they [the Russian side] are fully aware of everything that is happening”.
The prime minister said Armenia owns the country’s railways and they must serve Armenia’s interests.
“There is no alternative. We cannot say: yes, this is our railway, but let it remain a dead end. That cannot happen,” he said.
Journalists asked how Armenia intended to restore the two railway sections while they remained under a Russian concession. Pashinyan declined to go into details, saying the issue would be resolved through legal consultations and working-level discussions.
Background
In February 2026, Pashinyan said Armenia was losing the competitive advantages of developing regional railway links. He argued that one reason was the fact that a Russian company manages Armenia’s railway network.
“We need to think about what to do because this is not an issue that can wait one, two, three or four years,” he said.
According to the prime minister, restoring the missing railway sections would not pose a major financial or technical challenge for Armenia. He added that the country also needed to increase train speeds. Bringing the network up to modern standards, he said, would require additional investment.
Armenia has the legal right to terminate the concession agreement unilaterally. However, Yerevan has made clear that it does not want to pursue that option. Instead, the government says it prefers to find a solution within the framework of friendly relations.
Pashinyan has also suggested transferring the concession to a country that maintains good relations with both Armenia and Russia. However, before the April meeting between Pashinyan and Putin, Moscow said it had no intention of giving up the concession.
Armenia begins restoring railway on its own
